With new window installed, carousel near Battleship Cove closer to being operational

Tuesday

Jul 29, 2014 at 8:05 PMJul 29, 2014 at 8:17 PM

Jo C. Goode Herald News Staff Reporter @jgoodeHN

FALL RIVER — The last new window was installed on Tuesday afternoon, a sign that the city’s beloved carousel and waterfront attraction near Battleship Cove could be one step closer to taking riders on a whirl after being shuttered a year ago.

Kenneth Fiola Jr., executive vice president of the Fall River Office of Economic Development, which owns the carousel, confirmed this week that the refurbishment of the pavilion that houses the attraction was complete.

The carousel's reopening has been much anticipated since it was forced to close down last August, when a part on the carousel caused the attraction to break down and FROED was forced to build a new roof, install new windows and find a company to install the needed mechanism at a cost of over $100,000.

Fiola also confirmed that the staff at Battleship Cove would be operating the attraction.

“I met with the Battleship Cove people, and they agreed to manage the property,” Fiola said. “We’ll put together an agreement in the next couple of weeks.”

Battleship Cove managed the carousel for FROED for 10 years, but this will be the first time the museum will have a legal agreement with the economic agency.

“We managed it for 10 years for free, but we didn’t own it, so anything we put there could have been taken out the next day,” said Brad King, executive director of Battleship Cove. “Now, with a proper lease or system, we can really look at new services.”

Hoping to have an agreement in place by September, King said, in addition to overseeing the day-to-day operation of the carousel, they plan to continue offering the attraction for parties and weddings. It’s income, King said, that keeps the carousel in operation.

King is also looking to bring in a third-party vendor to create a possible waterfront cafe.

“Something comfortable for the visitors and the walkers,” King said.

The effort to make the carousel operational again has had a number of fits and starts since its closure. In addition to having to fix the broken, circa 1920 carousel and repair the pavilion, FROED had to seek a change to legislation regarding the property it's located on.

When FROED originally received ownership of the carousel — rescued by a group of local businessmen from being sold by operators of the amusement park Lincoln Park in Dartmouth — it negotiated a lease on the land at Fall River Heritage State Park with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

It wasn’t a deal FROED was interested in, since FROED would be responsible for repairing the adjoining parking lot and seawall, and providing security.

Fiola said legislation in the fiscal 2015 budget goes into effect that reverses the earlier lease agreement.

FROED is no longer responsible under the terms of the new agreement.

For his part, King is pleased the carousel will be joining the Battleship Cove as one of the city’s attractions.

“It’s good to get the carousel back up and running on the waterfront,” King said.